IATC Advocates for Trail and Mitigation Planning at New School Site

Providence Ridge Schools

To: Cristinah@issaquahwa.gov

The Issaquah Alps Trails Club shares many of the environmental concerns that other groups and individuals have with the plans for the two schools on the former Providence Height site. It is difficult to understand how the transportation system for pedestrians, buses and cars will function. It seems very car oriented with lots of conflict places for pedestrians and great inefficiencies for buses. Certainly, no recognition of climate change concerns given the transportation layout and its dependence and prioritization of single occupancy vehicles. We are concerned about the long term protection and restoration of the retained natural areas and any new areas that will be restored and maintained for long term open space. Our organization encourages the use of parks, open spaces and trails for use by physical education classes, physical training for athletes in many sports and the use by cross country teams for practice and events. Likely the school will have a cross country team and typically PE classes and others exercising will use unpaved surfaces for some of their running. A trail system will assuredly develop on the open space over time, the key is to proactively plan that trail system avoiding steep erodible slopes, off trail “short cuts,” unsafe road crossings and protect the long-term health of the existing and future plantings required for disturbed ground and restoration areas.

The use by Issaquah High School of the adjoining Park Pointe city open space has some issues that are of concern that we don’t want to see repeated here. Some of the trails they use at Park Pointe are not well planned or maintained for running. Management of tripping hazards such as rocks and roots are handled by painting them with white spray paint! Certainly not the best solution for the health of the forest and the safety of trail users. With little forest planned to be retained and areas of new plantings needing protection and the need for safe crossings of busy roads surrounding the schools there is a great need to carefully plan for trails, road crossing points and the use of the few remaining natural areas for educational uses as well. The health of the green belts on the north, west and south sides are in terrible shape, as is the wetland south of the proposed elementary school. There are many non-native plants including state regulated tansy ragwort, ivy varieties and non-native blackberry species. A comprehensive planting plan and 10 year bonded maintenance commitment needs to be developed for these areas. With roads and school facilities pushed up close to adjoin in residential uses the narrow green strips need to be well planted and well maintained. On the east side of the property there is a great deal of quality native plant and tree habitat. Much of this habitat will be lost to the 5 lane road, other grading and filling and stormwater facilities. This same area requires a comprehensive planting plan and 10 year bonded maintenance agreement. Besides great mitigation plans and 10 year bonding two additional mitigation strategies need to be followed. To compensate for the loss of smaller native plants there should be opportunities for plant salvage on areas where plants would otherwise be destroyed. This would apply to native ferns, native flowers and shrubs and smaller trees. Ideally salvaged plants would first be used on the site, second made available for use on other school sites and public areas and finally for the general public. Compensating for the loss of many large trees, both evergreen and deciduous is more difficult, in this instance there is a real need for the large trees on the site for use in a salmon restoration project in the same basin, Lake Sammamish, as the school site. State parks is working with the Mountains to Sound Greenway on a salmon recovery project in Lake Sammamish State Park that has the need for large woody debris to be placed in the creek for a variety of fish enhancing purposes. Providing large trees, with root balls attached, would be a great way to compensate for the loss of the forest on this site within the Lake Sammamish Basin.

We recognize the difficulty with putting two schools on the site given its limitation in size, access and topography. Trying to do more school on less site requires more work, more cost and more impact and a more comprehensive mitigation program. The above suggested requirements are justified given the proposed impacts development of this site would create.

Sincerely,

David Kappler, VP Advocacy

Lindsay Frickle, Executive Director

Issaquah Alps Trails Club